Forevermore
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: Winter is suppoosed to be a time of joy and happiness. But what will happen when Hinamori sacrifices her own life for another? Will Hitsugaya be able to save her? Or will she never live to see the new year?
1. Celebration

Forevermore

Chapter 1. Celebration

I don't own Bleach cause if I did Momo and

Toshiro would be in it a lot more.

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Momo Hinamori's brown eyes fluttered open.

She could tell by the pale, December sunlight filtering through her window, that it was around 7am.

She pulled herself out of bed and shook her dizzy head to clear it. The girl yawned and stretched before taking a cool shower and washing up. She got dressed into her normal shihokshou and brushed her long hair before tying it up in a small bun and pulled the blue cloth over it. She left her room, carrying her zanpakuto, Tobiume, and descended a flight of stairs to her office below. Lately, there had been so many Hollows to deal with, the Shinigami were even allowed to carry their zanpakuto.

There had been no time to settle the 5th divisions' issues after the former taichou had 'resigned'. Even after all this time she had been in a coma, they still hadn't done anything. Every time Hinamori thought about that traitor, her blood boiled with hatred, of him and herself. She had been a fool to believe Aizen's lies and she hated herself for betraying the whole of Soul Society.

But her best friend, the 10th divisions taichou had never blamed her, and all she really cared about was that _he _didn't hate her. Now, the poor 5th division fukuutaichou had twice as much work to do.

She sat down at her desk and stared glumly at the doubled pile of paperwork. She sighed heavily and began on the first page, sighing throughout the entire process. She was very anxious for tonight, it was December 20th, the 10th division taichou, Toshiro Hitsugaya's birthday.

With the thought of seeing her best friend in the back of her mind, Hinamori sped up her hands as they signed papers needy for approval. She worked hard all day, until several hours past noon. She hardly found time to breathe.

Around 4 o' clock, Hinamori had finished all the paperwork, so she went to her small, private kitchen to get something to eat. She cut off a small piece of watermelon and a fresh peach, and took them and a glass of water up to her room.

She slid open a door in the corner, and walked onto her balcony, where she sat on a small couch. This was one of those times when Hinamori wished she had a companion, like a cat, just to keep her company. Most people in Soul Society had suggested this for her, but she never knew where she could find one.

Not many Shinigami had pets that lived outside their zanpakuto. She had put the thought to the back of her mind for the time being.

Now, as she sat down, she noticed that there was a bit of snow falling but it no longer bothered her. After being around Hitsugaya so much she got used to the cold, and now often drinks cold water, eats colder foods, and enjoys colder temperatures. But she was not as accommodated to the elements of ice and water as much as the aqua-eyed taichou.

"Slow day today." She said to herself. There were hardly any other Shinigami outside; they were probably all inside trying to keep warm.

Which is another reason Hinamori liked the cold; because almost no one else did.

After finishing up, she stood and went back inside, closing the door behind her. It was now around 5 and she knew she should probably head over to the 10th division's building. If anyone else had went to wish him a happy birthday, they would most likely be gone by now. Everyone knew he had never been fond of a huge celebration for him; he liked his solitude.

Hinamori carefully picked up the present she had made for him, it had taken her so long to make it and she knew he would like something handmade over something store-bought, as would she.

But it seemed every year no matter what _she_ gave him he loved. She just hoped that he liked this present, for she didn't think it was very good.

The brown-eyed girl carefully wrapped a piece of light blue wrapping paper around it and tightened a white ribbon around the paper; these were the only two things keeping the present safe. There was no box to put it in for Hinamori feared it might break inside of one. So the present had somewhat of an awkward shape, but she didn't care, she just hoped she could get it to him, undamaged, and just prayed he liked it.

Carefully securing the gift in her left hand she glided gracefully down the stairs and out the door of the 5th division's building.

Since there were not many Shinigami wandering the streets, it did not take the girl long to reach the 10th division's building. She looked at the darkening winter sky, almost 6. She went up to Hitsugaya's office and listened for a few seconds.

No talking, no snoring.

Good; Matsumoto wasn't here. Hinamori tucked her hand in her sleeve and put it behind her back.

She wanted to wait for the perfect moment to give it to him.

She knocked on the door, no answer. She knocked a bit louder and after another silence she wanted to say the normal greeting, stating her full name, squad and reason for being there.

But she knew Hitsugaya. If you knocked more then once with no response, he wasn't there.

Hinamori carefully opened the door to his empty office.

A neat stack of papers waited for someone to take them by the door. He had finished all of his paperwork; Hinamori knew where he went when he was done with paperwork, and when Matsumoto wasn't around. She quickly closed the door behind her and went up a flight of stairs.

Without even knocking, she opened the door to Hitsugaya's room. Empty, as she had thought, so there was no sense of knocking. Besides, she wanted to surprise him.

She quietly walked over to a small door at the side of his wall and silently slid through it. She was outside, on his balcony.

She looked around and finally found the black and white robes she was looking for.

The girl swiftly jumped up onto the roof next to him.

"Hello Shiro-chan." She said with a grin. He sighed and tilted his head towards her.

"Baka, it's Hitsugaya taichou." He responded in his normal tone. Hinamori sat down next to him and shuffled her feet. Hitsugaya knew she hadn't come all this way just to sit down on the roof.

"What is it?" He asked her.

"Hm? O-oh nothing." She replied quietly. He sighed at how stubborn she was, another reason he liked her.

"Then why did you come all this way?" He asked, although he knew the answer. She didn't want to give it to him, not yet. She fidgeted, trying to think of a reply. When none came to her, she decided to just give in to him now.

But before she had a chance, he stood up and said, "Alright, follow me." And with that he leaped from the roof in a flash.

"Wait!" She called out after him.

She hurriedly followed trying to keep up. Her steps weren't nearly as fast as a taichou's, let alone _his_.

Toshiro Hitsugaya was one of the fastest Shinigami in all of Soul Society. And right now, he was going at what she thought to be top speed. The white haired boy finally stopped when they were out of Seireitei, now he was in a snow-covered forest by a small frozen pond. He turned and waited for Hinamori to catch up.

_Did I go_ too _fast?_ He wondered if he should go back.

But a second later, Hinamori appeared in a final stride.

She was panting, hard, and the cold weather made her throat and mouth dry.

'You…could've…. waited…a little." She said between gasps.

"Baka." He murmured. "You've gotten a lot faster."

"Really?" She asked, her breathing slowing a little.

Hitsugaya just nodded and sat down on the hill they were standing on. Hinamori didn't know why he had wanted to come _here_, but it was his birthday.

She sat down next to him, and for a while they just watched as the snow began to fall again. It was when Hinamori realized something that she broke the silence with a small gasp. Her feet were lying on something different from the hill; it was slippery and as hard as…ice.

She then realized what it was, a small pond at the foot of the hill, and now, she knew why he loved this place; because this steep hill overlooked almost all of the wintry forest. But he only came here in winter, because when the forest is covered in a cold, white blanket, is when it looks most beautiful.

Thinking that now was the right time, Hinamori pulled out the present she was hiding, and slowly, shyly, brought the wrapped gift into his view. She placed it in his hands without a word, and her face turned slightly red.

He smiled, the smile he had only for her, the one he gave to her and no one else.

He carefully pulled the ribbon loose and let the wrapping paper fall to reveal the gift. His sea-green eyes widened in shock. Inside the paper, was a small, crystal sculpture of Hyorinmaru. The detail was indescribable; it looked so real; the ice dragons' eyes were made of the tiniest rubies. Hitsugaya couldn't speak it was too…amazing. Hinamori looked hopefully at him, questions buzzing around in her head.

_Does he like it? Why is my heart beating so fast? Why isn't he saying anything? He hates it._ She told herself.

He looked up at her with those beautiful aqua eyes.

"I love it." He said simply, still at a loss for words.

Hinamori's heart lifted and she smiled in pure joy and delight.

"But…" Hitsugaya tried to ask. "How did you…" He didn't finish.

"It's a secret." She smiled playfully. He put the sculpture on the ground next to him and slid his arms around her. Hinamori's heart stopped beating for a second then she returned the hug and whispered, "Happy Birthday Shiro-chan." They didn't need a big party just to say these words; this was their own celebration. Just as they let go of each other, the snow began to fall harder, and the wind blew stronger.

Hinamori coughed.

"We should go." He told her.

She nodded with a small smile.

He stood up on the frozen pond and took a step forward so he stood on the hill. He reached his hand down to help her up. At that moment, they heard a terrible cracking noise. A cracking that sounded like the sky would start breaking apart, a sound that made them both freeze.

"Hurry!" Hitsugaya shouted over the wind.

He pulled Hinamori to her feet, but it was too late.

A giant tree branch that was too weak to withstand the wind had broken off, and landed on the ice-covered pond. It started to crack eerily and the layer of ice fell away, Hinamori with it. Her feet slid away from under her and she plummeted down into the deathly cold water.

Hitsugaya quickly tightened his grip on her wrist, but the ground was steep. He began to slide down with her when he caught something with his other hand, a frozen tree root. He was submerged up to his waist and Hinamori was completely underwater. He quickly summoned up all of his strength and pulled himself up.

He felt Hinamori's grip on his hand loosen; she was loosing air.

He held her tighter and hauled her out of the water and onto the hill with him.

She was panting, choking out as she tried to spit water out of her mouth. She desperately took in air.

He embraced her to try and warm her cold, drenched body.

She shivered and gasped in his arms.

He felt her body heave with the effort of trying to inhale.

After a few moments of uneasy panting, Hinamori choked up a mouthful of ice-cold water, and bit by bit, her breathing evened.

She still shook though.

Hitsugaya had hardly even touched the water and he, the wielder of the coldest ice elemental zanpakuto, had felt the slightest bit cold. And he hadn't even gone under all the way. It had happened so fast that Hinamori couldn't even take a breath before she went under.

She was still shivering and her breath came in and out softly.

Hitsugaya laid one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees, and he took her cold form back to the 10th division building, totally ignoring the slight weight that tugged on his right sleeve.

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A/N: Yes! I finally changed the format! thx so much for reading the first chapter! PLEASE review though plz!! chapter 2 is up!!


	2. Old Times

Chapter 2. Old Times

I still don't own Bleach

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Hitsugaya laid the shivering girl down on the couch in his office.

Where was Matsumoto when he needed her? Probably getting drunk. He went to a small closet by the door and pulled out a soft, thick blanket. He carefully wrapped it around her frail body and sat down at his desk. He put his hands on his forehead and sighed.

_Should I call Unohana?_ He wondered. She was probably very busy with all of the Hollow attacks lately. He decided that if Hinamori's condition got worse, then he would summon the 4th division taichou. It was then that he realized the extra weight on his right sleeve and looked.

The tiny sculpture of Hyorinmaru had gotten caught on his sleeve. He was glad it did because he had completely forgotten it. He studied it's red eyes, and perfect detail. Every scale, every fang, every claw was visible. He almost expected it to grow in size and turn into the actual dragon himself.

He placed it on his desk and sat there, with the uncomfortable feeling of not knowing what to do.

He listened to the silence. The only noises were Hinamori's strangled breaths.

He stood up again and walked over to the couch. He pulled a chair over from the corner of the room and sat down next to her. He didn't know what he should do. He could only watch as her eyes tightened every once in a while as she rasped a painful breath. He felt so useless to her; he couldn't do anything to stop her suffering. He sat there for almost half an hour until he got tired. But he couldn't go to his room and leave her here. And where was his lieutenant?

Finally, sleep surrounded him and he spent the night on the chair next to her, watching over her even as she slept.

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Hitsugaya awoke early the next morning. He opened his green eyes to find the sleeping girl they had closed on.

She was still shivering. He rested a hand on her forehead and automatically knew she was sick.

_Dammit._ He cursed himself. _I should've taken her to Unohana last night._

He also noted the lack of his lieutenant. She had probably fallen asleep at the bar. Hitsugaya carefully slid his arms around Hinamori, getting ready to take her to the 4th division building. Then he noticed how cold the blanket was. He quickly pulled the fabric off of her and wasn't too surprised to find that she was cold.

_Dammit._ He thought. _What good is it if the blanket doesn't even keep her warm? _He left the blanket there and picked up Hinamori's quivering form. He dashed to the 4th division's building, and entered unnoticed. It wasn't snowing, but there were still hardly any Shinigami outside. Hitsugaya immediately found who he was looking for. Unohana turned to greet him.

"Greetings Hitsugaya taichou." She said. When her eyes rested upon Hinamori in his arms she asked what had happened.

He explained as they walked to the room Unohana was leading him too. He didn't want to tell the full story; he wanted to keep it private. So he simply told her that he had been out for a walk and so had Hinamori. It finished when he saw her go under. He said he had gotten her out and taken her back to his building. Unohana nodded slowly and they finally arrived at an empty room with a neat white bed, he laid her down.

"I'll take responsibility for her work until she gets better." He said about to leave the room. Unohana gave him an amused, knowing glance. "Oh and Unohana," He said turning around. "Have you seen my lieutenant?" She smiled and replied.

"I believe she was at that bar near the 12th division building."

"Thanks. I'll come back to visit Hinamori later." And with that he left and closed the door behind him, and headed towards the 12th division building.

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Hitsugaya wasn't too surprised when he found his lieutenant and a bunch of other Shinigami scattered across the floors and chairs of the bar. He cursed them all in his mind.

"Matsumoto!" He shouted once he reached his unconscious lieutenant. She groggily opened her eyes.

"Mm taichou." She yawned. "Whatter you doing ere?" She slurred her question.

"Come on." He said a bit annoyed. "We've got work to do."

Around evening Hitsugaya stepped into his own office to see Matsumoto's progress. She had almost finished their paperwork, which was almost shocking. Hitsugaya had been at the 5th division's building all day signing papers meant for Hinamori. This way, everyone would know if _he _signed it, she must have a good reason for not.

The white haired taichou helped his golden-haired fukuutaichou finish the last sheets of paperwork. He had told her his false story as well so she would actually do her work if it meant helping Hinamori. Once they were done, Matsumoto asked,

"Taichou?"

"Hn?"

"What did you get Hinamori-chan for Christmas?"

"Why do you need to know?" He asked trying to sound dull.

"You forgot!" She stated automatically.

"No I didn't!" He spat back.

"Okay, then what is it?" She pressed on.

"I'm not telling you."

_Jackpot._ Thought his lieutenant.

"Oh so you did get her something after all! How amai! How kawaii!"

_Damn she's good. _He thought to himself.

"Yeah and what's it to you?" He asked in a tone that might get her off his back.

"Oh nothing." She smiled, and left the room.

"Probably going to go drink again." He said under his breath. Then he sat straight up.

"DAMN IT!" He shouted realizing what she had been trying to get at. She had just been trying to get him to tell if he had gotten his so-called 'Childhood Sweetheart' anything for Christmas, for it was what all the 'Childhood Sweethearts' did in Soul Society. If she got drunk again, there would be an outrageously annoying rumor going around the next day.

Unohana led him to Hinamori's room. She had done everything she knew of to treat her cold. The girl was still sleeping, but her breathing was normal again. That was a relief.

"She should be awake by tomorrow." The 4th division taichou left the room and closed the door behind her.

Hitsugaya sat on the edge of Hinamori's bed. He rested his hand on her forehead and was glad to find out her temperature was normal. She wasn't shaking anymore either.

A bandage around her left wrist was connected to a string, which led to a device that would beep every few seconds, telling him that her heart rate was normal. He sat there, for how long he didn't know.

He couldn't take his eyes off her. She wasn't dressed in her normal shihokshou, but in a white hospital robe. Her sword, Tobiume, leaned against the wall by a window. When he was satisfied that she would be all right, he stood up and with one last glance at the sleeping girl, he smiled and left.

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The next morning, Hitsugaya was greeted by a drunken lieutenant sitting on the couch.

He wanted to ask her if she had said anything she would regret last night, but the giddy look on her face told him she had started a rumor that would be known in half of Soul Society by this afternoon. She didn't even have to get drunk to do that. The only thing that got the white haired taichou through the day, and the paperwork, was the thought of seeing Hinamori awake and well again.

"Hey taichou?" His drunken lieutenant said.

"What?" He said in a voice that was annoyed and angry for probably staring a rumor of nonsense.

"Where did you get that?" She asked pointing to the sculpture of the ice dragon. Hitsugaya knew she would ask this eventually, but could not think of an excuse. He sighed.

"Well if you must know, Hinamori gave it to me." Even if he hadn't said anything, she would have found out or assumed. _Oh-ho!_ She thought. She opened her mouth to talk, then thought for a minute and closed it.

"Don't you go spreading any _MORE _rumors!" He hissed like an enraged cat. "Cause if you do I'll have you put in jail with no sake for the rest of your life!" He came up with his best threat he could think up on the spot. He half meant what he was saying, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"Relax taichou, I won't spread any rumors." She smiled. Hitsugaya noted she had failed to say she hadn't _already _spread rumors. He stood up, left the office, and made his way down to the infirmary.

Again it was late evening and Unohana didn't even meet him at the door. So he let himself into Hinamori's room and was relieved to find her sitting upright. She turned her head towards him.

"Toshiro!" She beamed happily. He didn't even bother to say anything, for he knew she would never use his proper title, and, he was just fine with that.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he walked over to the bed and sat down next to her.

"A whole lot better now." She replied.

"That's good." He smiled.

"Um, Shiro-chan?" She said softly.

"Hn?"

"What day is it today?"

"December 22nd Bed-wetter Momo." He answered. She gasped.

"Oh my goodness! How long was I asleep?" She squeaked. "There must be tons of paperwork to do." She started to climb out of bed when Hitsugaya stopped her.

"I already took care of it." She gave him a thankful and thoughtful look.

"Thank you Shiro-chan, but you didn't-"

"I did it because I wanted to baka." She gave him another sweet, appreciative smile and began to stand up.

"I'm just sorry I couldn't celebrate the first day of Winter with you."

"Forget about it." He said. She then began to stand up.

"Wait!" He said loudly. He quickly stood up and grabbed her left wrist. If she had pulled that wire, who knows what could have happened, since it pumped medicine into her veins. He gently pushed her back down onto the bed. "Unohana said you still need that vaccine." He said seriously. She nodded. "Is there anything you want me to do?" He offered.

"No. I'm fine." She told him. But he knew better, he knew when she was lying.

"No you're not fine, actually." He said firmly. She shook her head.

"No really Toshiro, I'm okay you don't have to stay here."

"What if I want to stay here? Hm? Why don't you let someone worry about you for a chance, Bed-wetter Momo." He smiled teasingly.

"Don't call me that Shiro-chan!" She pouted playfully.

"I'll call you what ever I want! Baka! Bed-wetter Momo!" He taunted.

"Shiro-chan!" She teased back. He placed both hands on either side of her waist and gave her a jumpstart. She squeaked and laughed as he did this multiple times. Finally he stopped and she sat there panting, holding her sides with crossed arms, a smile on her face. Then a small noise came from her stomach and her face turned red with a blush.

"Baka." He told her. "You should've said something sooner. Stay here and I'll get you something to eat." And with that he left the room. She just sat there and waited patiently until he returned a few moments later with two bowls of miso soup, rice and cups of green tea. Hinamori couldn't stop her stomach from making more embarrassing noises. They both laughed and ate, and talked together. _Just like old times._ They both thought.

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A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews guys! I love you!! Chapter 3 is up!!!


	3. The White Wolf

Chapter 3. The White Wolf

Nope still don't own Bleach.

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Hitsugaya found out that, the mellower the day, the more paperwork he received.

The past two days he had practically broken his hand from writing so much, and his eyes hurt from reading over documents. Yesterday had been bad enough, getting mountains of paperwork, a drunken lieutenant, and strange looks from other Shinigami.

Rumors spread _fast._

And today, he seemed to have twice as much paperwork, a doubly drunken lieutenant, and two times as many stares. It seemed that around the holidays Hollows thought Shinigami were foolish and would loose their touch or something.

Tonight was Christmas Eve and Hitsugaya still wasn't completely finished with Hinamori's gift.

He wanted it to be perfect.

There would be many small parties tonight, but tomorrow would be the biggest party of all. All the Shinigami were invited to an End of the Year Dance.

No one ever dressed up but it was still fun to go, and those who didn't attend risked being called forth to deal with the Hollows. So most Shinigami attended.

Hitsugaya still failed to see why it was called The End of the Year Dance, when it was not yet the end of the year. But then he figured it was because everyone would have their own parties for New Years, like Momo and him.

And they probably wanted them to be private, because of the biggest reason of all, sunrise. Everyone knew that when the sun came up on the first day of each year, one of your wishes would be granted, but, although he never truly believed it would come true, Hitsugaya always wished the same thing, and it had never come true. And this year for the dance, Hitsugaya could absolutely not refuse to go, for there was a karaoke contest, while no one won and no one lost, this year Hinamori entered and was accepted.

No one had ever heard her sing not even him. So he was anxious for that as well. The day of December 24th dragged by way to slowly for everyone, but especially Toshiro Hitsugaya and Momo Hinamori.

Finally noon came, but Hitsugaya still was not done with his paperwork, and neither was Matsumoto. The sun was hiding behind the gray winter clouds, creeping ever so slowly towards the West. Eventually, the taichou and fukuutaichou of the 10th division finished their work.

"I'll see you around, taichou." Matsumoto said heading towards the door. "Maybe at The End of the Year Dance." She smiled.

"Maybe." He replied. She turned and left. Hitsugaya sighed, mostly relief of getting rid of his lieutenant for a while. He went up to his room to work on Hinamori's present, the pale sun in the barren sky, taunting him all the while.

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Hinamori put the last paper on the top of the pile, and let out a loud, exaggerated sigh.

"Finally," She said to herself. "I'm finished." She sat at her desk with her chin in her hands.

The day was slowly going by and now she had a few hours until dusk.

Then she was going to head over to the 10th division building. Every year on Christmas Eve she went to visit Hitsugaya. She was so anxious. The closer it got to The End of the Year Dance, the slower things went. The sun was not setting fast enough! It was still hanging in the West side of the sky, taunting her. She just wanted to get to the end of the day and see Hitsugaya.

She finally retreated to her room to write a card for the white-haired taichou. She then tied a blue ribbon around it and stuffed it in the sleeve of her shihokshou.

She went out onto her balcony and stared across the snowy Soul Society. A little bird fluttered here and there, but otherwise there was no sound. Hinamori once again felt lonely and longed for the companionship of a cat.

Oh well.

She breathed in, and let it out with a sigh.

Everyone else was probably inside by the fireplace, sipping tea.

What a waste.

It was so gorgeous out; Hinamori loved breathing the fresh, cool air and didn't see how no one else enjoyed it. It was a waste of daylight and practically, a waste of life.

Hinamori was the one who woke up early, just to see the sun rise, and she was one of the only people in Soul Society who loved the cold more then the warm.

Finally, dusk began to settle, and the girl checked to make sure she still had the letter, and was off. She past the snowy forest they had been in four days ago and arrived at the building. She had no interference on the way in. She guessed most everyone was out drinking.

When she reached his office, she didn't bother going in, for she knew he would be in his room. She knocked, and after a few seconds, the familiar boy opened the door.

"Merry Christmas Eve Shiro-chan!" She blushed handing him the letter.

"Merry Christmas Eve to you too Hinamori." He replied, letting her in and taking the letter. He pulled off the blue ribbon and his eyes laid upon the following:

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Dear Shiro-chan,

I hope that you liked your present. I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Love, Momo.

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As his eyes lifted from the paper and came upon her, Hinamori's face turned bright red as she twiddled her fingers and looked away.

"Arigato, Momo." He said softly. She was caught a little off guard by hearing her first name, but was even more shocked when he embraced her in a small hug.

She was hardly able to return the 'Thank you', for he pulled back so quickly, hiding his face from the girl, for it was bright pink. That whole night, as they sat and talked on the roof, stargazing, he could not bring himself to say it.

The first word in the last line of her letter is what he felt towards her. And now he knew for sure she felt the same way towards him. As they sat on the roof, gazing at the endless universes of stars a small, silver line cut across the dark sky. Hinamori spotted it first.

"A shooting star!" She gasped. "Quick Shiro-chan make a wish!" She exclaimed tugging his arm. She closed her eyes and clapped her hands together hoping, wishing.

_I wish Shiro-chan loved me back!_ She wished.

At the same moment, Hitsugaya stared straight at the comet, and closed his eyes. Ironically, his pleading wish was, _I wish Momo knew that I love her!_ Then they both opened their eyes at the same moment as the glowing star disappeared somewhere in the distance, they cherished that moment, for, like all the other moments, it would never happen again.

They looked at each other and the brown-eyed girl smiled. Then she stood, wished him a final 'good bye', and gracefully leaped off the roof. He cursed himself for not being able to tell her. All he could manage was,

"Sayonara, Hinamori." As she ran back to her building through the darkness he opened his mouth to shout after her what he had been trying to say, but she was gone.

He gritted his teeth and growled. Why was he such a coward? It was just three simple little words and he knew she felt the same way. Why couldn't he do this? Once again his wish had not come true.

What child's games, wishes coming true.

Feh.

He felt that he was as foolish as a tiger in a cheetah's race.

Frustrated and angry with himself, he jumped down onto his balcony. It was almost midnight, he could tell by the position of the moon for it was nearly in the center of the sky. The moon was in the shape of a cat's claw, lightly outlined in an eerie, yet calming purple glow. He sat down on one of the futons he kept on his balcony.

_About one more minute._ He thought. He counted down the seconds, _19, 18, 17, 16… _Then white cotton clouds moved in, coming out of nowhere, it seemed. He continued to count in his mind, _11, 10, 9, 8… _The clouds moved in closer, imprisoning the moon in a white mist, although the glow from it and the stars still filled Soul Society with a faint light. _5. _He stood up now, and leaned over his balcony, looking up at the sky curiously, watching it, trying to figure out what was happening. _4 ,3... _He saw something falling from the clouds small, round, white. _2._ The 10th division taichou watched the snowflake, as white as his own hair, drift towards him. He held out his hand as the snowflake floated directly towards him, and landed in his palm. At that very second, only one word escaped from his mouth.

"One." Suddenly it was like the clouds had exploded. Snow burst out of the sky, falling in every direction, covering all of Soul Society in fresh blanket of cold, white snow; Christmas had begun. But what the 10th division taichou didn't know was that at the same time, a dark haired girl had stood on her balcony in the 5th division building. She too had counted down the seconds. _3, 2…_

"One." She whispered as the snowflake landed in her palm. Then, it had been as if the sky was crying. The new snow covered the snow that had fallen prior, freezing lakes and ponds, causing icicles to harden and dangle from buildings.

_What a waste._ Hinamori thought.

It was a waste for something so white, so clean, so pure, to fall on such a tainted planet. She sighed happily, and walked back into her room, sliding the balcony door closed behind her, and at the same moment, so did the 10th division taichou.

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"Oh no! I'm going to be late!" Hinamori told herself out loud.

She raced out the door of her divisions' building. The day of Christmas had gone much faster then she had anticipated. After finishing her paperwork in a rush, she had washed up and prepared herself for The End of the Year Dance karaoke contest. She did not get over-confident for there was no winner, but she wanted to do her best for the whole of Soul Society, for Hitsugaya… She ran towards the Central 46 Chambers where everything had been set up and decorated for the dance.

She did not see why it was called The End of the Year Dance, when it was not the end of the year, but all she knew was that she had auditioned, been accepted, and had to show up. It was actually quite early, yet Hinamori was nervous and believed she was late. It was still snowing outside so she thought it would be better to take a short cut.

Instead of pushing her way through the traffic of the now busy Soul Society. She turned off of one street and ran until the buildings ceased. She was now at a small, snow-covered forest, a forest she would not soon forget.

She did not have to go through the forest that was almost her deathbed; she just had to pass a few trees and hills until she wound up where she wanted to be. She had planned to meet Hitsugaya outside of his division's building, where they would make the rest of the run to the dance together. But just being near this place sent a shiver down her spine.

Her feet sank a few inches into the snow, seeping the cold water into her socks. The streets were not as snowy in Soul Society, but she needed to meet Hitsugaya soon.

As she ran past barren trees with no more then icicles hanging from them, the girl finally began to see the outline of the building she sought. She tried to run a little faster, knowing she was so close.

Then Hinamori stopped dead in her tracks.

She stared at the creature in front of her, the rarest, most mysterious, most dangerous, animal in all of Soul Society; a white wolf. She gazed into its piercing amber eyes; it blended in so well she could just barely see the outline of its body. This magnificent creature stood in her path and stared her straight in the eyes. Hinamori seemed to fall into a trance of fear, uncertainty, and stillness.

Her body froze as the deadly animal stepped closer; it's white paw hardly visible in the snow. She had heard stories, that at one point in history, a single white wolf had brought down almost 50 Shinigami at once, to try and protect it's cubs. Back then white wolves had been hunted almost to extinction for their pelts, but it was rumored that a few remained living in this forest. No one had ever seen any, so the tale was forgotten by most and labeled as an unnecessary myth. But everyone knew that they only appeared during Winter, and lived in deserted forests, and pretty much no one entered this forest, let alone in Winter.

Hinamori dared not draw her sword, for, even if she could defeat it in battle, she never would. She could never kill an animal, let alone one that was one of the last of it's kind. She knew it was a great possibility that she could die where she stood for invading the wolf's territory, but she was ready to accept this and take responsibility for her actions.

She had already admitted that she loved Hitsugaya in her letter, so he knew, and she was satisfied.

She stared the wolf directly in the eyes, and stood proud and tall as her messenger form death stepped forward and bore it's fangs.

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A/N: Whats gonna happen? Read the next cgapter to find out! Reviews plz!!


	4. Sacrifice

Chapter 4. Sacrifice

Yeah the whole 'owning Bleach' thing, not workin out so good

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Hitsugaya leaned against his division's building. Hinamori should have been here a few moments ago, but he knew she would be stressed and nervous for her big debut. He would give her a while longer, then if she had not yet shown up, go and look for her.

He watched the snow still steadily falling from the sky and sighed at one of the last snowfalls of the year. He closed his eyes and could have sworn he heard a long, familiar cry, coming from the forest.

Hinamori squeezed her eyes shut, but the fangs never met her throat as she had expected. Instead, when she opened her eyes the white wolf was standing in front of her with it's head raised to the sky. It let out a long, desperate wail, as if to blame the sky for all of its agony. When it lowered its head to her, Hinamori saw worry and distress in its eyes.

What was wrong? Had she done something? No, impossible. She hadn't moved or made a sound. Was it afraid of her? The questions buzzed around in her head like a swarm of insects.

The dogs' cousin gave her one last look of hopelessness, and darted past her. Without a second thought, Hinamori turned and followed it; she knew she had to. It wanted her to follow it, that wolf needed help. It was so unbelievably fast; she had to run at top speed just to keep it in sight.

Finally, the wolf halted at the last place Hinamori wanted to be. They were standing in front of the frozen pond where she had fallen in, the tree branch laid on the side covered by a new frost. Snow still fell; therefore the pond was frozen over again, but not completely. Here and there were cracks and places where the water was still visible. It would definitely crack if any more weight were added to it. The amber-eyed wolf bore its majestic fangs and wailed a long, desperate howl again and looked back at the brown-eyed girl.

But what caught Hinamori's attention was a small figure crumpled on the ice. A tiny white wolf cub was whimpering helplessly, as the ice beneath its body began to break away, bit by bit. And what stood around the pond was a sight the 5th division fukuutaichou never thought of seeing.

A pack of these endangered wolves, young and old stared at her with various colors of gorgeous, hypnotizing eyes. The amber-eyed wolf she had been following was now next to a wolf with dark green eyes. They were mates. The two stared at the girl again, glancing at the pond and back again. Now she understood. They wanted _her_ to rescue the cub. They looked at her expectantly and whimpered as the ice beneath the white dog cracked again.

Hinamori gathered up all of her courage and stepped forward. The wolves in front of her stepped back, but the amber-eyed wolf and her mate stepped to the pond's edge with her. Hinamori tried to measure the distance from the land to the cub. She knew trying to walk across the ice would just make it break faster. The only option was to run fast and get there before the ice broke. But she knew, even if she succeeded in rescuing the cub, she would not make it back.

She stepped to the edge of the frozen water, and stepped onto the deadly thin ice. She ran as fast as her feet would allow, slipping and sliding towards the small animal. She heard the terrible noise of the thin ice cracking behind her, but dared not waste time to look back.

She reached the whimpering wolf and picked it up quickly, panting with the effort. It gave a yelp of surprise and bit her, not knowing if she was an enemy or not. She winced as it's knife-like fangs ripped through her left arm, and its claws tore at her stomach as it kicked. Wincing, she turned as fast as she could and began to run back across the chunks of ice that were still strong enough to hold them. The water drenched her ankles now as the ice fell away.

Then the ice gave in underneath her and as fast as her reflexes allowed she thrust the wolf across at the land and watched as it planted its claws in the snow safely.

Hinamori untied the blue cloth in her hair and threw it onto the ice, in hopes of leaving a clue, before she went under with a scream that was cut short.

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Hitsugaya was now making his way towards her division's building. She was late, very late. Then he heard a noise that made him stop dead in his tracks, a noise he knew all too well. He turned towards the forest where it was coming from and dashed through the trees.

"Hinamori."

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Hinamori was engulfed by fear. The water was so indescribably cold, enough to freeze an icicle ten thousand times over. She couldn't move before she went under, her feet had already gone numb. Now the numbness had spread throughout her body like a disease, causing her lungs to stop working, her long, loose hair drifted around her. She couldn't breathe, but she knew the water had filled her frozen lungs. She was in death. She felt it's horrible stillness, she tasted its emptiness, she smelt its bleakness, heard its eerie silence, and saw its terrible nothingness. As she failed to attempt one last gasp for air, her eyes closed, and a memory of her beloved flashed through her mind. Then all was black, and still.

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Hitsugaya finally arrived at the clearing and stopped. The pack of white wolves was clustered around the lake and some looked out over the water and cried out. Others looked his was and went over to him. The amber-eyed wolf looked at him helplessly then nudged her frightened cub closer to her.

"Teiketsu." He said to the mother of the cub. "What happened?"

He knew it was useless to ask for she did not understand and could not respond, but he needed to know. But she seemed to understand his question and glanced over to the pond. He followed her gaze.

_Has one of them fallen in?_ He shuddered at the thought of one of the last of the species dying in that frozen wasteland.

He had found this surviving pack a few years ago, and given the older ones names. Every Winter he would come to visit them and give the newborns names. Their numbers were steadily increasing. He swore he would not tell anyone about their existence, for he did not know what the Shinigami's reactions would be. He did not even know where the wolves lived when Winter was not the present season. The other three seasons the wolves seemed to disappear, then return with their camouflaging snow.

He walked over to the water's edge and saw large cracks and an open pool near the center of the pond. Then he saw what Teiketsu had wanted him to see. A blue piece of cloth was lying on top if the ice and he remembered the scream he had heard.

"Hinamori…" He quickly reached behind his back, gripping the sheath, and called out one word.

"HYORINMARU!"

He drew his sword as the majestic ice dragon appeared, and obeyed his masters' wish. The mighty creature dove under the water without hesitation.

Some of the white wolves backed away, giving the ruby-eyed creature his space. To them, he was the mightiest creature in all existence, and therefore they acted as his slaves, always letting the dragon do as he wished. If that dragon was loyal to this boy, then he was their God of Winter, he controlled all ice, all water; he controlled their season. The water settled as the dragon disappeared under the frozen ice.

Then a few seconds later, the entire pond flew apart and ice water rained upon the white wolves and the white-haired taichou. Hyorinmaru re-appeared with the figure of a girl placed carefully in his claws. The loyal dragon let out a roar as he landed next to his master. The wolves turned to Hitsugaya and Hyorinmaru, and lowered their bodies in a deep bow of respect.

Hyorinmaru stretched forward and unwrapped his claws as his master gently removed the drenched, bleeding girl from his claws and laid her on the ground, her long, loose, brown hair fell over her shoulders. When the mighty dragon knew his task was completed, he withdrew to his mater's sheath.

"Hinamori!" Hitsugaya cried desperately. "HINAMORI!" He saw the deep wounds on her right arm and stomach; they looked like they had been made by teeth and claws. Then he suddenly understood what had happened.

_She must have tried to save on of the wolves and sacrificed herself for it. _

The pack of wolves around them slowly crept in closer, their heads bowed in complete respect and mourning. The little cub stepped forward but it's mother pulled it back with a whimper. Hitsugaya laid Hinamori's head on his lap and immediately knew something was wrong. She wasn't breathing.

"No." He whispered.

He grasped her wrist but felt only an indescribable cold; _he_ was cold. He place his hand over her mouth, to feel if she was inhaling or exhaling, but no air went in or left her body. Panic and grief flooded through him. Then he pulled her body up to him and leaned back against a tree behind him. He buried his head in her shihokshou but heard nothing, no breathing, no heartbeat. His left arm around her shoulders and his right arm across her waist, he laid his head next to her neck, nothing.

He sat up, tears filling his aqua eyes. Then he rolled up her left sleeve and saw the bite mark still bleeding. He did the only thing he could and froze her wound to stop the bleeding and did the same for her stomach, he refused to admit she was gone. No, she was alive, she had to be, she could not leave him.

No.

He pulled her limp body to his own and wept. He looked at her frozen face, her closed eyes; he remembered their beautiful color. Her laughter, he remembered her lovely voice. He remembered her warmth, her smile. Then Hitsugaya gasped and opened his damp eyes. He felt the slightest tremble, like a gnat on a leopard. He looked past the tears in his eyes and saw her eyes flutter.

"…Hina…mori…?" He whispered. At the sound of her name, she opened her gorgeous, dark chestnut eyes, and she let out a trembled breath.

"…Shiro…chan."

"Hinamori." He whispered. Tears once again began to flow down his face. "Hinamori!" He pulled her head over his right shoulder and held her in an unbreakable embrace. She gave a weak smile and whispered again,

"Shiro-chan." Then she too began to cry, pure joy and relief. Her breath trembled and she gasped for air as she chocked out her tears. She quivered in his arms and panted as she wept. The wolves raised their heads and called thanks to the sky, happiness and joy in their howls. Hitsugaya did not know how she had woken up, for he had truly and bitterly thought, deep down, that she had been dead. But something, happened. She was given a second chance because of her sacrifice perhaps?

But as she lay crying in his arms, he realized he did not care. She was alive now and he would never loose her again, never.

As they sat there, weeping together, the snow continued to fall, one snowflake for every tear they shed that evening. Every tear, of grief, or hopelessness, of mourning or agony, of joy or faith, of caring or love.

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A/N: Just to clear this up at the beginning of the chapter it says that Histugaya heard a familiar cry when Hinamori first met the wolf. Then it say that the wolf howled but she hadn't made a sound. That familiar cry Hitsugaya had hear was the wolf not Hinamori (cause she hadn't made a sound). It was a familiar cry because he had already known about the wolves, and knew what they sounded like. He didn't even know that Hinamori was in the forest until she screamed when she went underwater. But anyway next chapter is almost finished, I think it sux, but I'll try to make up for it in later chapters. (There are 8. I already wrote the entire story I just need to revise it) Reviews plz: )


	5. The End Of The Year Dance

Chapter 5. The End of the Year Dance

Im still working on it, the owning Bleach thing...

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"Hurry up!" Hitsugaya called to Hinamori.

"I'm going as fast as I can Shiro-chan!" She panted. They ran through the now empty streets of Soul Society. They agreed not to speak of any of the past events to anyone. The sky was darkening as they ran towards the Central 46 Chambers and the dance. He was ahead of her, she was still a bit weak and shivering, but she had insisted in going on to the dance.

"Oy." He grumbled. "Here!" He said as he went back to her. He swiped her off her feet and she squeaked in surprise, and he carried her the rest of the way to the dance. Once there, he let her stand on her own feet, and they ran inside.

Lights flashed as they were greeted by the festival. Almost every Shinigami in all of Soul Society was there. Some gathered around a stage that was set up, while others were dancing. Hinamori grasped Hitsugaya's hand as to not get separated from him in the crowd. Then they heard a loud voice coming from a microphone onstage.

"And now," said the voice that they recognized to be none other then Matsumoto's. "For tonight's special guest in karaoke, Kuchiki Rukia!" An uproar of surprise, shock and cheering rose from the crowd of Shinigami.

Rukia appeared from behind the blue curtain that had been set up onstage. She was wearing her familiar shihokshou, a bluish of nervousness across her face. All the Shinigami had known the Kurosaki and his friends were coming for the celebration, but no one knew that _Rukia_ of all people would be singing. Even the orange-haired boy had a shocked look on his face as he gazed at the girl onstage.

"Hey Hitsugaya!" He said to his friend. " D-did you know about this?"

"Hitsugaya taichou," He grumbled. "And no I didn't know about this." But a slight smirk crossed his face as he saw the look on Kurosaki's face and the shy one on Kuchiki's.

"Oh my goodness!" Hinamori gasped. "It's already Rukia-san's turn! I'm next!"

"Then go." Hitsugaya said letting go of her hand. "Hurry!" She smiled and disappeared in the crowd. Hitsugaya and Kurosaki stood next to each other with a clear view of the stage. They both had one thing in common; they had both come tonight to be there for the girls they loved. Rukia accepted the microphone from Matsumoto.

"I didn't know she was singing." Said the substitute Shinigami.

"Neither did I." Replied the taichou. "It seems that only the girls who auditioned for the karaoke knew who the special guest was."

The raven-haired Shinigami took a deep breath as the slow music started to play. The whole room went silent, and all eyes fell upon the girl. She glanced uncertainly at the boy next to Hitsugaya.

Kurosaki gave her a reassuring look.

Everyone was anxious to hear the lyrics of the song, but mostly wanted to hear her sing. The Shinigami took in another deep breath as she waited for her part to come in. Then she sang. Her voice started out a bit shaky, but gradually grew more confident throughout the song. Her voice was as perfect as the surface of the water of a pebble-less lake, flawless. And there was an added sweetness to her tone. Kurosaki was utterly stunned, as was everyone else. Even the 10th division taichou had an odd look on his face. Kuchiki began to blush more, and finally, the song ended.

The room was silent for a few seconds afterwards, speechless. Not even Hitsugaya could say anything; everyone was dumbfounded.

Then a caterwauling of cheers exploded from the audience. The girl's face was now completely red, and she bowed her thanks. She could not look the orange-haired boy completely in the eye right now, for she was too shy, and she disappeared behind the blue curtain.

Kurosaki smiled and blushed a light shade, and the white-haired taichou smirked.

"Well it's about time!" He exclaimed.

"Wha-what do you mean?" Kurosaki stammered.

"Oh come off it, everyone knows she's always had a crush on you, and it's obvious you love her too. She was just braver to admit it first, you couldn't even tell her how you felt, you coward. _She_ had to tell _you_!" The boy finished his statement with a smile of victory. Kurosaki turned away, knowing that he was right.

"Well I doubt you told Hinamori how _you_ feel." He suddenly shot back. That took Hitsugaya's smirk away, and now Kurosaki smiled tauntingly at the taichou.

"W-why drag Hinamori into this?" He attempted a subject change.

Kurosaki just smiled and the two turned their attention back to the stage. After a few moments the cheering had died down and Matsumoto's voice was heard once again.

"And now for our final act of the night, Hinamori Momo!" Cheering went up again as the 5th divisions fukuutaichou stepped out from behind the curtain. Hitsugaya clapped.

"Oh-ho!" Kurosaki mused. "Seems like someone's blushing!" He mocked.

"Shut up." Hitsugaya spat, hiding his red face. "At least I can tell her how I feel."

"Oh so you didn't tell her eh?" Kurosaki pressed on. If they hadn't been at a dance and Hinamori wasn't about to perform, Hitsugaya would have knocked him unconscious. He just growled, then he looked back at the brown-eyed girl onstage.

She looked at him, her eyes filled with nervousness and uncertainty. He gave her an encouraging nod and the music started.

She sang.

Her voice was like a breeze, smooth and perfect, with a soft, gentle tone. Hitsugaya was completely stunned, as where the others around him.

"Hinamori…" He managed to say. As the music died away, the entire audience was as silent as they had been at the end of the previous girls' performance.

Then their shock turned into excitement as their voices exploded in an uproar of cheers and screams. Hitsugaya stood motionless, hands dangling at his sides, his mouth open limply. Then Kurosaki gave him a rough pat on the back and he turned to him.

"Come on!" He shouted over the cheers. "Cheer for her!" Hardly noticing what he was doing, Hitsugaya raised his arms and clapped, his eyes still glued to the girl onstage. Then as he woke out of his shock and amazement, he began to clap faster and louder. As the cheering finally stopped a few moments later, it started up again as all the nights performing girls lined up, side-by-side, and bowed. Then most of them quickly ran offstage and into the crowd.

Matsumoto's voice rang out again.

"Enjoy the rest of the night!" And the noise level receded. Hitsugaya and Kurosaki had stopped clapping and still had their dazed eyes fixed on the places where the girls had just stood. They couldn't even move they were so dazzled. Only when they were almost knocked off their feet did they snap back into reality.

"Ichigo!" The Kuchiki girl cried as she threw her arms around him, a rosy color across her face. "Was I… good?" They shy Shinigami asked nervously. Kurosaki just returned the embrace and responded,

"You were magnificent." At the same moment, Hinamori thrust her arms around Hitsugaya.

"Shiro-chan! I was so nervous!" She squeaked. He could only return her hug and reply,

"You were amazing Hinamori." The two couples stood in the center of the crowd, than the two girls pulled away.

"I was so nervous!" Hinamori repeated mainly to Kuchiki, for only the other girl knew what she was feeling right now.

"Me too." Kuchiki responded. "I thought my heart would burst out of my chest."

"Mm hm." Hinamori nodded agreement.

"Heh." Kurosaki smiled, thinking of the perfect way to annoy the other boy. "Sorry Hinamori, but I think Rukia was the best."

"What did you say?!?" Hitsugaya turned on him. "Are you kidding me? You heard Hinamori yourself! I'm sorry but _she_ was the best!"

"Don't listen to this shrimp Rukia." The orange-haired boy taunted.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!? Who's a super midget?!?" Hitsugaya was like a lion ready to pounce. Then the Kuchiki girl and Hinamori stepped between the two.

"Now Shiro-chan no one said that."

"Calm down Ichigo you know he's right!"

"No he's not! You have the greatest voice I've ever heard!" Finally the boys cooled down and the girls stepped back with a unison sigh.

"Girls are so modest." Hitsugaya murmured.

"Tell me about it!" Kurosaki agreed. Then the girls moved closer to them.

"Okay," Hinamori announced. "We'll see you around. Lets all try to enjoy the night."

"Right." The raven-haired girl agreed. "We'll meet up with you later." The two boys nodded and walked off in different directions, Kuchiki and Hinamori happily following.

The girls received many complements that night and the two couples met again, this time on the dance floor. They danced to many songs that they all knew and some that they did not, yet they all enjoyed the dance.

Eventually, Kurosaki bent over, and kissed Kuchiki on the lips. The shocked girl's dark silver eyes widened and her face turned the reddest of colors, until she finally realized what was happening, and returned the kiss.

Hinamori pretended she did not notice, as did Hitsugaya. For the rest of the night, the two could not meet the others' eyes, and somewhat of an uneasy aura floated around the two. When the last song ended, there was an announcement that the party had ended. Hitsugaya and Kurosaki walked their girls outside where the four friends said their good-byes. It was very late, or rather very early and judging from the moon, dawn was not far off, and it was still snowing.

Hitsugaya walked Hinamori home, but she fainted from dreariness halfway there. Hitsugaya carried her the rest of the way and after climbing a few flights of stairs, arrived at her quarters. He gently placed her on her bed, and pulled the sheets over her slightly moving form.

He stayed a few moments longer, watching the beautiful girl as she slept; the only sounds were the faint breaths that escaped her body.

Finally, the taichou noiselessly left the room and went onto her balcony. With one last glance back, he jumped off the balcony and headed towards his own division's building, the falling snow still landing on his cloak.

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A/N: Yay! I finally changed the format! I might change it for the previous chapters but that would mean deleting all of your awsome reviews. I don't want to do that, but if it will make it easier for you guys to read then I'll do it. So plz review again since I have to delete your other reviews I love you guys thx soo much!!!


	6. Sanctuary

Chapter 6. Sanctuary

I don't own Bleach! (yet)

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Hinamori straightened the stack of completed paperwork in front of her with a sigh.

Five days had passed since the dance; it was now December 31st. And it seemed that it had taken her those five days to wake up fully. Her handwriting was a bit sloppy, like she was writing and walking at the same time. And just as soon as she and about every other Shinigami in Soul Society, had caught up with her sleep, she now had to stay up until dawn.

Not that that was a bad thing though, she did get to see Hitsugaya again. She still felt a bit awkward around him after seeing what had happened between Kurosaki and the Kuchiki girl during the last song.

What the 5th division fukuutaichou did not know, however, was that the 10th division taichou cursed himself for missing his perfect chance. He had had a _perfect_ opportunity to do what he had wanted to do for so long. But he was too much of a coward and could not bring himself to say _three simple little words_ to her.

Miracles do not happen every day, maybe not even every year, but Hitsugaya had learned this much: When you are given the opportunity of a miracle, _you do not pass it up_. But he had gone against his own rule.

Yet Hinamori's thoughts were the complete opposite.

She thought that if he had wanted to kiss her, he would have, she guessed that she had come in second place in Hitsugaya's heart.

They were only childhood friends after all, and maybe they were meant to be nothing more.

Her chest ached at the thought of her Shiro-chan falling in love with another girl. The truth, the bitter truth that had been locked away in her heart all those years, was that she loved him, truly, purely, and without a doubt, she had loved him, and had always known it. And the fact was, she was still in love with him.

Now, the poor, confused girl thought way too deeply, she considered that it would be wrong to spend New Years Eve with him. Then she shook the thought away, they were spending the night as friends, and nothing more.

They had watched the sun rise together every year for as long as she could remember.

Now, Hinamori was blindly walking out of her building, and into the snowy streets of Soul Society, lost in thought, letting her feet take her wherever they wished. Eventually, she found herself in the snow-covered forest that had almost been her deathbed twice now. Her heart sank as she realized that this was not the place she had hoped her feet would take her.

She sighed as she reluctantly walked through the white trees, the wind slipping whispers she could not hear.

Again she let her feet lead her and she found herself on a hill that overlooked the horizon. But as she looked for a moment, the girl realized it was not a hill, but a cliff, that showed the Western side of Soul Society and whatever lay beyond.

The fukuutaichou sat down, her feet slightly dangling off the edge of the cliff. She wanted to be alone for a while just her and her thoughts, her precious memories.

The sky was darkening now, and although it was barely snowing Hinamori shivered. Perhaps from being in this dreaded forest yet again, or perhaps it was the feeling of being so alone, so hopelessly, bitterly alone.

So cold…

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Hitsugaya had finally finished Hinamori's present.

He thought he could have finished it by Christmas, but it had not been quite completed. Ever since the dance he had not been able to look her in the eye, ashamed that he could not accomplish what Kurosaki had.

_I hope she likes it._ He thought.

He lifted it up and wrapped it in a somewhat loose paper and tied it with a purple ribbon. As he was about to leave his office, he noticed something or rather someone…extra.

"Matsumoto." He said to his lieutenant. She turned to him with a bored expression on her face.

"Hai?"

"I probably shouldn't say anything, but you haven't been out drinking for almost five days and nights straight, and it's getting late. Are you sick?" He half joked.

She stood up from her place on the couch and gave him a childish smile.

"Oh don't you go getting concerned or anything taichou. I have a huge party to celebrate in about one hour. Then we'll party until dawn and later." She stated rather proudly. Hitsugaya, sorry he had even asked, rolled his eyes and left his office with Hinamori's gift. He was just glad that his lieutenant had not asked about the small package he carried in his left hand.

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Hitsugaya rushed into the 5th division's building and flew up the flight of stairs leading up to her room. He opened her door, and with an uneasiness in his stomach, went out onto her balcony.

"Hinamori!"

He must have called her name twenty times already. She was not here, she was not in her office, and no one he had asked had seen her all day or so far that night. His stomach flipped over with worry. He thought of the last possible place where she could be, the place where he had almost lost her twice, and he would not let it happen again.

He leaped off her balcony, clutching her gift in his hand, and once again, he failed to notice the slight weight tugging on his right sleeve.

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Hinamori opened her eyes and let her eyes flicker about.

She must have nodded off because her head felt like it was full of syrup. How long had she been out there? The light of the sky told her it was about one hour until midnight.

_Oh my goodness!_ She thought worriedly. _Shiro-chan! He must have been waiting for so long! _

Her mind was racing with worry and guilt. She tried to move but something held her to the spot.

Was she caught on something? She turned her head but could not see anything that her shihokshou might be caught on. No branches or cracks, weeds or plants, just snow. She made an effort to get up but her hands would not budge.

Then she realized what it was that did not allow her to move; she literally was frozen to the spot.

She felt dizzy, it was almost as if her body was full of cotton. Even her thick material shihokshou could not allow her to feel even the slightest bit of warmth. She was completely numb. She tried to open her mouth and cry out for help but the only thing that came out was a soft, cracked squeak.

She took another deep breath and was about to try again, when she started to cough. The freezing air filled her lungs and caused her to force it back out.

But air is all around and cannot possibly be avoided if one wanted to live.

Hinamori could never avoid it.

She continued to cough uncontrollably, and she knew that if she were ever able to fight her way out of those spasms, she would not be able to talk for a long time. She was gasping for breath now, but could not stop coughing. The back of her throat was dryer then a dessert in August but she was so numb, so tried, she did not have enough energy to stop; or did she not have the life force to stop?

She could not bring herself to do anything but sit there and cough in her spasms. If she were not numb, then she would have been shaking.

As the night went on she lost track of time, her vision blurred, she tasted blood, and her violent coughing slowed to short, weak hic-ups. She knew she was about to die, and that no one was around to save her; not even her Shiro-chan.

Her eyes were half closed as she forced out what she knew to be her last breaths.

Then she heard something approaching behind her.

If her heart had been beating at a normal rate, it would have skipped two beats.

The footsteps were too fast to be a person's, there were far more 'thuds' then two feet would make. It must have been an animal, a white wolf maybe?

_Will I die by cold? _She managed to wonder. _Or fangs?_

She could no longer turn her head, but only shift her eyes when the footsteps came nearer and a shadow fell over her, distorted by the other shadows of the forest and glow of the moon. She heard a noise that sounded like something falling, but no longer had the strength to think what the figure might be.

Then, something deep in her heart told Hinamori _who _it was.

_He must have ran so fast… _

Hitsugaya sat down on her right side. He laid his left hand across her shoulders and pulled her numb body into his lap. He held her tightly.

"Baka." He told her.

He had pulled her out of her numbness, yet she thought she would go into another, awful coma again. So long she had wanted to wake up and see his face again, she was waiting for so long…

She was so cold, she could not describe it, it was colder then the frozen, December lake water, so terribly cold.

His warm hands found her frozen ones, and he grasped them as if he would never let go, which he would not, he would _**never**_ let her go again.

Now, Hinamori had gotten her ability to move back. She huddled closer to him, resting her head on hid chest. He pulled her closer, letting go of her cold hands in the process. And something deep down in the center of her being, in the center of her heart, something warmed.

She shivered, a violent shiver that made her entire body shake uncontrollably. From the inside out, she shook and did not stop. Her breath came out in weak pants, but he just held her close and let her shake off all the cold, all the ice, all the fear.

Midnight was now long gone, the new year had begun, and the snow had stopped falling. If Hitsugaya had not come when he did, Hinamori would never have seen the new year.

However, dawn was still far off.

They sat there together in the cold for hours. She huddled closer to him and he held her tighter.

Finally, her breathing slowed, and her shivering weakened, as she fell into a warm, cozy sleep. He glanced at the moon and the stars, thanking, whatever it was up there helping him, thanking them that he had not been too late.

He sat there in silence with only the faintest, softest sound of the girl's breathing. He could feel her body rise and fall gently. He could feel her heartbeat, it had been slow, but now it was returning to a normal pace. Her body continued to rise and fall with her breathing, lifting his arm around her shoulder, ever so slightly.

He pulled her even closer and watched over her as she slept, once again, making sure that even the slightest bit of cold dare not come near her.

He was a dragon, and she was his precious treasure.

He was her guardian angel.

Her sanctuary.

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A/N: Okay guys I just wanna make this clear, if I have any errors or spelling mistakes please don't flame me, I'm not saying that you have but I just don't want it to start. I would fix the mistakes but I don't know how. The last time I tried I wound up deleting the entire story and all of my 14 reviews at that time, so I don't want to dothat again. So please don't kill me and PLEASE REVIEW!!! I really want to recover all of those reviews that I lost. Help me please!! Chapter 7 is on its way!!!


	7. The Cat And The Dragon

Chapter 7. The Cat and The Dragon

Gomenasai (I am sorry), I still do not own Bleach.

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Hinamori blinked her eyes open, but saw all black. She lifted her head out of the sleeve of the boy's shihokshou and looked around. They were still on the cliff, he had saved her life, again, and it was getting bright. He smiled at her, the smile that only she knew what it looked like.

"It's almost dawn."

He told her. She sat up as he picked something up off of the ground next to him. She carefully took the wrapped item in her small, pale hands and looked at him almost as if she was asking what it was, or asking permission to open it. He gave her a short laugh.

"Go on, open it Bed-wetter Momo."

She gently pulled the ribbon off and glanced at the present inside.

Her heart skipped.

Staring back at her was a small statue of a cat. It was carved out of crystal, with perfect detail and realistic characteristics. She was as shocked as he had been when he had opened her present for him. But what caught her attention the most, were its dazzling emerald eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and she forgot to breathe. She almost fell over, but a warm hand steadied her.

"Oh come on." He said. "It's not that good."

She smiled; he was flattered. She could hardly believe that she could speak.

"Shiro-chan I love it!"

She squeaked. He smiled again and picked up something else, that familiar weight that had tugged on his right sleeve, the sculpture of Hyorinmaru.

Both sculptures were surprisingly the same size, with similar detail and characteristics. And both had the same set of hypnotic eyes, one pair of emerald, and one pair of ruby. The dragon was in somewhat of a defensive position, and the cat stood there, as if something stood in front of it; protecting it. They were perfect, all four of them; the cat and the dragon, the girl and the boy. Hitsugaya and Hinamori placed their crystal sculptures next to each other, and the two let their feet dangle off the edge of the cliff.

The sky was turning pale as the sun crept its way up into the horizon.

"Ready Shiro-chan?" Hinamori asked.

"Ready."

They both knew what they would wish for when the sun came up. Hinamori was not making a silent wish this year, however, and neither was Hitsugaya. This time, each knew for sure that their wishes would be granted. But neither knew that the other was going to say their wish out loud. Finally the wind blew a soft, cool breeze, and the sun came into view, for all to see. Hinamori took a deep breath, and shouted at the top of her voice.

"I wish Shiro-chan loved me back!"

At that moment, he too shouted,

"I wish Hinamori knew I loved her!"

The echoes died away as they realized everything that had just been said.

He _did _love her back and she _did _know he loved her; their wishes were granted.

The two stared at each other in total embarrassment and astonishment.

"You _did_ love me back." Hinamori whispered in disbelief.

"I've always loved you." He replied. Hinamori's eyes filled with tears of joy, and she flung her arms around him.

"I love you so much Toshiro!" She cried. He returned the embrace.

"I love you too." He told her.

She cried there in his arms, letting all of her emotions loose, she cried a river with a smile on her face. She cried out all her feelings that had been locked away for so long, slowly tearing her heart into pieces. As she pulled back, she looked at him. He smiled his sweet smile and reached out his hand. He wiped the tears off her face and held his hand for her to see. The tears were falling off his fingers as he spoke,

"See these?" She nodded and he went on. "I never want to see these again, unless you're happy."

He flicked her tears off of his hand, as if flicking away her troubles. This only made her even more joyful and the tears poured out of her eyes again and rolled down her face. She wiped as many of them as she could away. The sun in the distance seemed only to shine it's light on them for the time being. He looked into her beautiful, dark brown eyes, and she looked into his amazing aqua ones.

Then, without warning, he closed his eyes, leaned forward, and kissed her lips. He felt her heart stop beating for a few seconds as her shocked eyes doubled in size. Then her heart rate sped up as she closed her eyes and returned her feelings through the kiss. He opened his eyes and pulled away, as did she.

Her face was the color of a Sakura petal, and he smiled his warm smile, the one only for her. Tears filled her eyes yet again but never reached her lashes. She could not cry anymore, her whole being was overjoyed with indescribable feelings of happiness and love, but she had no more tears left at the moment. She could only smile and lean on his shoulder as he pulled her close to him.

They watched the horizon together and they saw the white wolves emerge. Hinamori spotted Teiketsu and her little cub, which she had saved. Hitsugaya and Hinamori both stared out over the sky. She breathed out a sigh and he remained smiling as they sat there together.

They sat on the hill where hearts had been warmed, where feelings had been spilled, in the forest where death had been avoided, in the world where the pure snow fell on the tainted planet.

Where the snow fell from the sky and landed on the Earth, connecting the two, although they never touch.

The statues of the emerald-eyed cat and the ruby-eyed dragon sat side-by-side, as did the brown-eyed girl, and the aqua-eyed boy.

A breeze floated by them as the golden sun shown down on the two.

And even though the Earth is tainted, the pure snow only falls on it in one season each year.

However, love is in every season and the seasons never ceased.

And the two that the sun shown down upon, Hitsugaya Toshiro and Hinamori Momo, share a love purer than any snow, that will last not one season nor one eternity, but Forevermore.

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A/N: I know that it was short, but because its the holidays here is a treat, chapter 8 is up!!! Its the epilogue and I personally do not think it is that great, but please feel free to read it if you want to. Please read and review!!


	8. Epilogue : Puzzled

Epilogue: Puzzled

Yes I know that even after all of this time I still do not own Bleach.

I will keep trying, and when I finally succeed I will make all of the awsome

fanfictions out there into actual episodes.

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The girl stood in a forest of shadows and nothingness.

Total, utter, complete darkness drifted around her.

Nothing stirred.

Yet she was not alone.

A white-haired boy stood in front of her.

"Good-bye Hinamori."

He was saying. For some unknown reason, those two simple words made fear creep down her spine and she winced.

Then he leapt away into the darkness, leaving her.

She reached out a hand and tried to cry out after him to wait, but she had no voice.

Then he disappeared from her sight.

Suddenly, she heard a mountain-shattering sound. A roar that was like it was from the throat of some terrible beast, a dragon and a griffin combined. She knew that howl all too well. As the screech died away, she thought she smelt something, something odd. It had a liquid-like smell with a tang.

Then it came to her.

Blood.

First he had disappeared, then the howl, and then the smell of blood. Once again she tried to cry out, yet once again no noise emitted from her body, and no reply met her ears.

_No._ She thought. _He…he can't be…he can't be dead. It's impossible! No Hollow could kill him! Not him! _

Her fears were added to as the smell of blood increased and she felt liquid on her ankles. Her eyes trembled as she slowly glanced down. Her socks were drenched in a wet river of blood; _his _blood, and she cried out a silent scream that was never heard.

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When we are born, we are like puzzles just taken out of their boxes. Pieces are spread out all over like a twisted maze.

Confusing, incomplete, unsolved. But as our lives go on slowly, gradually, the puzzles are put together, piece by piece until only few parts remain un-occupied; empty. We fill these spaces ourselves, putting the pieces together, until the puzzle is complete.

In the cool Autumn of Soul Society, the is the story of how one girl recalls when she had been missing one, small piece of her puzzle.

This is the story of how Hinamori Momo found the last and final piece.

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Momo Hinamori sat on a hill in a small forest that overlooked the Western side of Soul Society and everything that lay beyond.

A cold breeze drifted past her and she crossed her arms and shivered. It had been almost a year since then, the End of the Year Dance, although the next one was approaching. Almost a year since she had been saved multiple times by her beloved, Toshiro Hitsugaya.

She recalled the dream she had had the night before and shuddered. She buried her face in her hands and wept. She did not know why she cried; it just seemed to come naturally.

She recalled what he had said almost a year ago:

_"See these?" _

_She nodded and he went on. _

_"I never want to see these again unless you're happy." _

Then he had flicked her tears away, as if flicking away her troubles. She had kept this promise since then, and had only cried when she was happy, but it was not as easy as she had though it would be. She often came back to this forest, something she thought she would never do. She would come up to this hill and cry, for his sake. For she was happy, and that is why she cried almost every day, for almost a full year now.

She was so happy that she had found him, so unbelievably, indescribably, happy. She loved him, he loved her, nothing more could be asked for, and nothing more was.

She lifted her head up and wiped away the drying tears.

Suddenly, Teiketsu and Sachiaru emerged from behind a bush to her left. Hinamori greeted the white wolves and patted Sachiaru on the head. Hitsugaya had given the cub his name for it meant 'lucky', and the 10th division taichou believed that he was a very lucky wolf. He had been saved by Hinamori, and for that reason Sachiaru was loyal to her over anyone else, even Hyorinmaru. And it was very obvious to Hinamori why Hitsugaya had given Teiketsu her name, for it meant 'purity'. And her pelt was of the purest, snow white.

Since Hinamori had saved the cub last year, the pack had stayed in this forest all year round, instead of just in Winter. No other Shinigami knew of their forest, only a certain pair came here.

Hinamori and Hitsugaya both believed that it was safe to say, that the white wolves were no longer in danger of extinction.

Another cold, harsh breeze pushed by and with a small shudder, Teiketsu and Sachiaru both bowed to the girl and pranced away into the forest.

Neither the fukuutaichou of squad 5, nor the taichou of squad 10 knew the real reason why the wolves did so, but they had a pretty good idea.

The chestnut-eyed girl's mind began to recall events from the past year. She remembered going home on the first morning of the New Year, and placing the small, crystal sculpture of a cat on her office's desk. She recalled the feelings of loneliness she had always felt, and she recalled the urge for a cat, a companion to keep her company throughout the long hours of the day.

Now, she no longer felt alone, for he was always with her, no matter where she was, he was always by her side even if she could not see him. Hitsugaya was always there, and he always would be.

He was here; she was never alone.

Never.

When her former taichou had betrayed her; he was there.

When she lay, for what seemed an eternity in that awful, lonely coma; he was there.

When she had almost drowned twice in the frozen lake water of this very forest; he was there.

When she had almost died of frostbite; he was there.

She was alive now because of _him_.

Her life had been gradually being put together, piece by piece, like a puzzle. Then it was as if someone had thrown her life off of a cliff into a dark whirlpool. Her life had been shattered by Aizen's treachery. And as she lay in that bed, in the still darkness of a coma, Hitsugaya had been there for her all of the way.

Her life was being put back together. Then she had realized that there was only one more part of her life missing. She needed to find it, but _he _found _her_. They had been sitting on that very hill when the New Year's sun had risen, and they made their wishes. Then, he had kissed her, and the last piece of the puzzle had been put into place. She was complete.

Yet the truth is, he had been the first and last piece of her puzzle. When she had first met him, when they had attended the Shinigami Academy, when they were young, one of the pieces had fit. And all this time, wasted time, had gone by, and neither knew why they did not reveal their true feelings to each other sooner. That would have made both of their lives so much easier.

Hinamori would give anything to be his fukuutaichou, so although they were very close friends, she envied Matsumoto. To be around him constantly, go where he went, follow in his footsteps, be with him…

Yet she had admired Aizen.

And now, Hinamori would give anything, to never even have met that traitor. Hitsugaya had always known Aizen's true intensions, and had tried to convince her of his treason, yet he said that he had never blamed her, but she believed, that deep down, he had. And for that reason and that reason only, Hinamori knew she could never make that up to him, so she detested herself.

But now, Aizen was gone, and she was safe. For Hitsugaya will never betray his own men, let alone _her_, no matter what. He was trustworthy, and she was loyal; the two made the perfect couple that only comes along every 10 million years.

As a third, frosty breeze passed by, Hinamori decided to get going. She pulled her feet up from dangling over the ledge, but stopped when she felt a slight pain in her ankle, that shot up her entire body.

Then she heard footsteps behind her and turned to her right.

"Oy." He sighed. "Need a hand?"

He smiled sweetly and reached out his hand. The girl smiled and slid her little hand in his. She staggered to her feet and unsteadily stumbled.

"Hey take it easy!" Hitsugaya exclaimed, catching her. "Your ankle is still injured from that last battle with the Hollow isn't it?"

He asked. She found her balance.

"I'm fine Toshiro." She told him.

"Oh so now I've been promoted to 'Toshiro' instead of…"

"Shiro-chan!" She smiled.

"Bed-wetter Momo." He mumbled. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked.

"Yes." She replied stubbornly. "I'm sure." But a small shadow of fear trickled down her spine, as she remembered her dream.

However, Hitsugaya knew when she was lying. He laid his right arm around her shoulders and took her right hand in his left. She sighed, seeing that she could not convince him that she was all right.

"Come on." The boy said. "Lets go."

She gave him a small smile and limped back to the 10th division building with him. Once there, they went up to Hitsugaya's room and he wrapped a bandaged cloth around her ankle.

"Arigato Toshiro." She whispered softly. "But you really…"

"I did it because I wanted to Bed-wetter Momo." He smiled again tauntingly. "Like I said before, why don't you let someone else worry about you for a change?"

He repeated his own words. The two friends talked and discussed the occurrences that had taken place over the last few days; mostly talking about how many Hollows there were now. After a while, it began to get dark outside and the aqua-eyed boy walked the chestnut-eyed girl back to her division's building. They passed through her room and two emerald eyes gleamed from a certain crystal statue on her nightstand.

The two walked outside and stood on the girls' balcony, holding hands, and said their good-byes.

"See you tomorrow Shiro-chan." The brown-haired girl said quietly with a slight blush.

"Oy." He mumbled playfully. "So now I'm back to Shiro-chan."

He smiled and Hinamori gave a short giggle.

"Good-bye Hinamori."

The white-haired boy replied. The girl winced slightly at those words. He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Once again Hinamori was caught off guard, and her eyes widened. Hitsugaya could feel her pulse pounding in her wrists; she was still easily baffled.

Every time he kissed her, her heart seemed to miss a beat. It took a moment for her heart rate to slow, and then she softly returned the kiss. Then the two pulled apart, yet Hitsugaya still held Hinamori's hands. He felt the pounding in her veins slow to a normal pace and smiled, amused. He had been smiling a lot more lately, but only the smile he gave her. He let go of her hands and turned to jump off the balcony but was stopped by her voice and her hand grasping his.

"Wait, don't go."

She spoke barely above a whisper.

He, of course, could never refuse her, especially when she spoke in such a fragile voice.

"What is it?" He asked turning back to her.

She was afraid.

She recalled her dream from the night before, as well as the saying of how dreams come true.

"Well…it's just…" She trailed off.

Then she threw her arms around him and cried out.

"I love you Toshiro!"

He returned her hug, somewhat puzzled.

She said it as if she had never said it before.

"What's wrong Hinamori?" He asked again.

She began to cry as she told him the dream she had had. How she dreamt that he had said good-bye to her and then left her, going somewhere he would not ever return from, somewhere she could not follow. Although it had been a dream, she feared him saying good-bye to her, for if he did she thought he was leaving her, and not returning. She knew what had happened to him after he had said good-bye. The words came spilling out of her mouth as she finished the description of her dream.

"I'm not sure what happened," She hiccupped. "But once you said 'good-bye' it was as if you really meant it, and they say that dreams always come true." She sniffed and tears rolled off her face. "It's just…it all seemed so real." She whispered.

"You're right," He said.

"Dreams come true, nightmares don't."

He said it in his most re-assuring tone, yet she continued to gasp and cry.

"I'm never leaving you, I'm not going anywhere, I'll always be with you."

The girl lifted her head out of her shihokshou. He reached out a hand and wiped away her tears.

"And what did I tell you about these?"

He asked her gently, holding up his fingers as her tears dripped off. After a moment of panting she replied,

"That…that you don't want to see them…unless I'm happy." She sniffed.

He nodded and flicked her tears away.

When she finally stopped gasping, he looked at her.

"Mata ashita, Hinamori."

He told her patting her head. The girl forced a smile and softly replied,

"Arigato, Shiro-chan."

He let go of her and leapt off the balcony, and Hinamori noticed how he had failed to say 'good-bye".

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The next day the first snowfall of the year covered the land in white. Hinamori found Hitsugaya in his office, and she quietly greeted him.

The taichou smiled.

"Lets go for a walk." He suggested. "It's too nice a day to let the snow slip by without breathing the cool air."

"Hai." She nodded.

"That would be nice."

As the two left the office, two small ruby eyes gleamed from a crystal statue at the corner of his desk.

A soft breeze blew off towards the distance; carrying a few unsuspecting leaves to a destination only the wind knew.

The white puffs of the first snowfall of the year continued to flurry down upon Soul Society.

The aqua-eyed boy and the chestnut-eyed girl sat on a familiar hill in their secret forest as the pure snow fluttered about them.

He laid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her over, and she leaned on him.

Although it was snowing, the sun still broke through the cotton clouds.

And although we are all aware of just how pure the snow is, the two that the sun shown down upon, Hitsugaya Toshiro and Hinamori Momo, share a love purer then any snow, that will last not one season, nor one eternity, but Forevermore.

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A/N: Well there you have it! Forevermore is complete, but I'm working on about 3 other HitsuHina fanfics right now, so just be patient. Please review!!! HitsuHina4ever!!!!!!!!!


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